The present invention relates to a technique for distributing electronic information (such as a kind of multimedia information) including text information and its corresponding motion image information, a technique for reproducing the distributed electronic information, and a technique for utilizing a memory card having an electrically rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory as a medium for distributing the electronic information. More particularly, the present invention relates to a technique which is effective if applied to an electronic newspaper distributing terminal and a distributed electronic newspaper reproducing system for realizing an application to be called a kind of motion image electronic newspaper, for example.
In multimedia at present, newspapers or TV programs form a major part. Newspapers are the most convenient and portable information media. However, as recording and display media, newspapers are excellent in the quality of displaying text or documents, but their graphic information is limited to static images. On the other hand, the TV intrinsically handles the graphic information and is excellent in the quick service of information. However, the TV is inferior in portability to newspapers and substantially unable to allow free access to desired information. The drawback of TV is compensated for by the video recorder which has a poor quality in expressing text and is limited in portability and quick service. Thanks to the recent development of the electronic technique, practices are being started of electronic books which use various electronic recording media and liquid crystal displays in place of the books of the prior art having paper media. This trend is described on pages 105 to 110 of Nikkei Electronics (1-17, No. 599 issued by Kabushiki Gaisha Nikkei BP in 1994), for example. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 181803/1993, on the other hand, moreover, there is disclosed an electronic publishing system which uses an optical disk as the memory medium to record the electronic information containing graphic information and to reproduce the recorded information.
However, those prior arts have taken no consideration into the point of reproducing and displaying the electronic information, in which the mode of displaying the graphic information with respect to the text information is freely switched between the static image display and the motion image display. Neither considered is a system for distributing such electronic information.
We have investigated the portability of a terminal for reproducing the distributed electronic information, the quick serviceability of the distribution of the electronic information, and the simultaneous accesses to the static image and the motion image. After these investigations, we have found that it is desirable for improving the convenience and performance of the information display to display the static image together with the text thereby to switch the static image freely to the motion image. Of these, it is advantageous for reducing the size and improving the reliability of the operation to exemplify the electronic information storing media by a memory card which is removably attached while having no substantial mechanical action. For spreading such a reproducing/displaying terminal, moreover, we have found that it is necessary to develop the device or system for distributing the electronic information and to consider the acceleration of the process in view of the characteristics of the service for distributing the electronic information.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic information distributing terminal capable of efficiently conducting the service of distributing the electronic information including text information and its corresponding motion image information.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic information distributing terminal capable of improving the reliability of the distribution service with an electrically rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory card for distributing the electronic information.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a distributed electronic information reproducing system capable of displaying the file information and the motion image information clearly and displaying more information if necessary.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a memory card as an individual storage device optimized for distributing the electronic information.
In the present invention, an electronic information distributing terminal (2A) for writing electronic information including text information and its corresponding motion image information into a memory card (1) equipped with an electrically rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory to distribute the information, comprises a card stock (225) of a plurality of memory cards that hold the information distributed through a communication interface (200), wherein the electronic information is distributed by discharging the memory card even in response to a demand for distributing only the electronic information, and wherein the memory card inserted with the demand is utilized as a new card stock (225).
Since the memory card can be repeatedly utilized but is more expensive than the video tape, the electronic information distributing terminal other than those used personally or at home has to be considered to support the two electronic information distribution modes, i.e., to distribute the electronic information exclusively and to distribute the electronic information by vending the memory card, too. At this time, it the electronic information distributing terminal having the card stock stored in advance with the electronic information is adopted, the discharge of the memory card of the card stock even in the case, in which the purchaser has inserted his memory card to demand the distribution of only the electronic information, makes it unnecessary to allow each inserted memory card to store the electronic information thereby to accelerate the service of the information distribution. Since the inserted memory card is then utilized as a new card stock, the card stock is not reduced unless a memory card is newly purchased, so that the card stock need not be frequently supplied. Since the electronic information to be stored in the memory card is received through the communication interface, the distribution of the information having a content of quickness such as newspaper information can be covered to require no work for updating the information to be distributed.
Information can be rewritten only a limited number of times in the nonvolatile semiconductor memory. In order to retain the reliability of the information distribution, the memory card has an area (MEM1) for recording the information indicating the maximum number of rewrite operations, and an area (MEM2) for recording the actual number of rewrite operations, wherein when the actual number reaches a predetermined value, the memory card ends its service as a new card stock (225) so that the electronic information is rewritten by updating the actual number of rewrite operations till it reaches the predetermined value.
The electronic information distributing terminal can be realized like an automatic vendor by providing an operation unit (205, 226, 2266) for selecting the kind of the electronic information demanding the distribution; and accounting means (206, 229) for collecting the charge for the distributing of the electronic information.
According to another aspect, an electronic information distributing terminal for writing electronic information including text information and its corresponding motion image information into a memory card (1) equipped with an electrically rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory to distribute the information, comprises a communication interface (200); a data buffer (411, 221) for temporarily storing the electronic information fed from the communication interface; a memory card interface (410, 230) to which is removably attached a memory card equipped with an electrically rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory for allowing the memory card to separately store the text information and the corresponding motion image information from the data buffer; an operation unit (413, 232) for selecting the electronic information to be stored in the memory card from the data buffer; and accounting means (206, 229) for collecting the charge for the electronic information selected in the operation unit. In this electronic information distributing terminal, it suffices both the improvement in the information distribution service and the propriety for the charge to have the data buffer for temporarily storing a plurality of electronic information fed from the communication interface and to charge the cost for the distribution of desired information when this information is selected from the electronic information stored in the data buffer.
A distributed electronic information reproducing system (4), comprising display control means (402) that removably receives a memory card having an electrically rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, displays a static image on a display unit (403) using a portion of the text information and the corresponding motion image information read from the memory card, and reproduces a motion image from the static image on the basis of an instruction from an operation unit (405, 413). Thus, the information can be displayed clearly and more information can be displayed the, if necessary, by displaying static image from the text information and a corresponding portion of the motion image information and if necessary, a motion image from the static image.
The distributed electronic information reproducing system (4) is enabled to receive the distribution of information directly by further comprising: a communication interface (200); a data buffer (411) for temporarily storing the electronic information including text information and the corresponding motion image information received through the communication interface; and a memory card interface (410) for allowing the memory card to separately store the text information and the corresponding motion image information in the electronic information transferred from said data buffer, whereby it can receive the distribution of information directly.
In electronic information storing mode on a memory card for facilitating accesses to motion image information and text information corresponding to each other, either of the motion image information or the text information separated from each other is stored starting with the first address of a predetermined storage area (MEM6), whereas the other is stored starting with the last address of the predetermines storage area (MEM6).